Thursday, December 01, 2005
Journal 5: Galileo
In my first journal entry I did not understand the reason for the trial of Galileo. The only thing I knew about it was his conflict with the religion of the time; however, I did not even know what the conflict was. Now, after reading several passages and listening to several discussions and lectures over his trial, I understand why there was a controversy with Galileo. In a way, he created this controversy and pushed his limits.
Galileo’s trial accused him of breaking the rules of a law that stated one could not defend, hold, or teach the Copernican theory in any way, shape, or form. Galileo knew this law, however he was not told he could not teach the theory, only that he could not hold or defend it. The Pope gave him a lot of leeway when it came to the Copernican theory. He told Galileo that he could think about it as long as he made sure it was hypothetical. However, in Galileo’s book, “Dialogues”, he writes about the Copernican theory as more than hypothetical, as if it were what he believed.
The legend of the trial is that Galileo was mistreated and named as a heretic for having viewpoints that differed from the church. Obviously, if this were true, the trial would be a black point in history. After learning about the details of the trial and what actually occurred, I would say that the trial was fair. He did break a law that he was well aware of and received the punishment for this, even though he did not confess to it. Whether the law that he broke was just or not is another question. We also learned from the reading that Galileo never spent a day of his life in jail. They took his old age into account and treated him with respect.
My view of the trial of Galileo has definitely changed from my view at the beginning of this class. I know the details of the trial and can see that it was a fair trial and Galileo was treated justly. Before this class I did not know the exact accusations given against Galileo. I also learned that the trial did not come as a surprise to Galileo. He knew the law and he knew what he was doing when he wrote his book. However, I do not think he knew how much trouble he could get into with his book. Fortunately for Galileo, his friends were sympathetic to him and he was able to get a minimal punishment. Galileo, although he broke the law, was able to live relatively freely and with few restrictions.
Galileo’s trial accused him of breaking the rules of a law that stated one could not defend, hold, or teach the Copernican theory in any way, shape, or form. Galileo knew this law, however he was not told he could not teach the theory, only that he could not hold or defend it. The Pope gave him a lot of leeway when it came to the Copernican theory. He told Galileo that he could think about it as long as he made sure it was hypothetical. However, in Galileo’s book, “Dialogues”, he writes about the Copernican theory as more than hypothetical, as if it were what he believed.
The legend of the trial is that Galileo was mistreated and named as a heretic for having viewpoints that differed from the church. Obviously, if this were true, the trial would be a black point in history. After learning about the details of the trial and what actually occurred, I would say that the trial was fair. He did break a law that he was well aware of and received the punishment for this, even though he did not confess to it. Whether the law that he broke was just or not is another question. We also learned from the reading that Galileo never spent a day of his life in jail. They took his old age into account and treated him with respect.
My view of the trial of Galileo has definitely changed from my view at the beginning of this class. I know the details of the trial and can see that it was a fair trial and Galileo was treated justly. Before this class I did not know the exact accusations given against Galileo. I also learned that the trial did not come as a surprise to Galileo. He knew the law and he knew what he was doing when he wrote his book. However, I do not think he knew how much trouble he could get into with his book. Fortunately for Galileo, his friends were sympathetic to him and he was able to get a minimal punishment. Galileo, although he broke the law, was able to live relatively freely and with few restrictions.
